6 ms·

I loved out of a minivan for 1.5 years and it was one of the best experiences I've had. Cost almost nothing, too.

by forgotmypw17 4y ago

danny_codes 4y ago
What did you do for showering, cooking, etc?
- jrgoff 4y ago
  I lived out of a tent for a couple of summers. Getting a gym membership was an easy way for me to have access to showers. At the time I mostly just ate food that didn't require cooking though I certainly could have used a camp stove easily.
- forgotmypw17 4y ago
  I showered less frequently, but there are many options out there, such as: Friends and allies, beach and camping showers, gyms, pirate bath. I did not cook much, and just ate things like nuts, bread, and cheese. But I had a simple wood stove that runs on little sticks. (Look up rocket can stove.) Generally speaking, for most things, it was just a matter of "stay calm and improvise".
  - stjohnswarts 4y ago
    I had a friend doing the van living thing, he was coming by every day or so to shower at my immobile home. It got kind of old and I told him he was going to have to start cleaning it once a week to continue on. He said fine. Then he proceeded to never show up again lol other than to drop by and say howdy.
    - forgotmypw17 4y ago
      Sounds fair... It helps to have a habit of leaving every place cleaner than you found it. It sounds like your friend had other options, and you were able to remain friends?
      - stjohnswarts 4y ago
        Yeah I'm pretty sure it was the closeness to my house from where he parked on a relative's farm.
notch656a 4y ago
Is there anyway to do this without having CPS seize your children or the school refusing their enrollment? Theoretically if you live in a minivan can you just park it in the best school district and have at it?
- voxic11 4y ago
  In the US if a child meets the definition of homeless in the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act then schools must allow them to register without proof of residency. Children living in cars meet this definition. Note though that homeless students can still be required to provide reasonable proof of residency in order to receive an admission preference based on where they are temporarily living. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinney%E2%80%93Vento_Homeless_Assistance_Act#Homeless_children_and_education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinney%E2%80%93Vento_Homeles...
  - notch656a 4y ago
    That sounds awesome. Might be worth looking into the best school district in the US and buying a minivan, if that life is amazing as it sounds. Property taxes would be non-existent. Wonder if we could just get 2 or 3 minivans and make a 'room' out of each one. You could use one to tow the other ones every 3rd day to avoid violating park laws, so they wouldn't even all have to run.
    - hattmall 4y ago
      I'm 99% certain it would completely suck with children. It could be cool on your own, or maybe even as a couple, but with kids I can't see it. Not to mention the social stigma the kids would face at school, especially in the best district.
      - forgotmypw17 4y ago
        I'm not so certain, if only because how many obstacles and problems people imagined for me when I told them the idea, compared with how surprisingly easy it was when I actually went for it. I think mindset is still the biggest factor. For example, there are all sorts of things you can get picked on for at school, and I think the most important bit is teaching them to navigate the process itself.
alar44 4y ago
Did you work during that time? Living in a minivan and vacationing in a minivan are 2 drastically different things.
- forgotmypw17 4y ago
  At different times, I did part-time remote work, which was more than enough to sustain me, worked as a home assistant for a family member, and did not work at all (living primarily freegan lifestyle then)
hotpotamus 4y ago
Was it down by the river?
- forgotmypw17 4y ago
  Very often it was. It is one of the best places to park. By the lake and by the ocean is great too. You can go for a swim first thing in the morning.
  - hotpotamus 4y ago
    I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't have some appeal to me.
mdp2021 4y ago
> I l/o/ved out of a minivan Very telling lapsus. Or, I see what you did there.
- forgotmypw17 4y ago
  Yeah, that was a typo, but I did love it.

I loved out of a minivan for 1.5 years and it was one of the best experiences I've had. Cost almost nothing, too.

danny_codes 4y ago

What did you do for showering, cooking, etc?

jrgoff 4y ago
I lived out of a tent for a couple of summers. Getting a gym membership was an easy way for me to have access to showers. At the time I mostly just ate food that didn't require cooking though I certainly could have used a camp stove easily.
forgotmypw17 4y ago
I showered less frequently, but there are many options out there, such as: Friends and allies, beach and camping showers, gyms, pirate bath. I did not cook much, and just ate things like nuts, bread, and cheese. But I had a simple wood stove that runs on little sticks. (Look up rocket can stove.) Generally speaking, for most things, it was just a matter of "stay calm and improvise".
- stjohnswarts 4y ago
  I had a friend doing the van living thing, he was coming by every day or so to shower at my immobile home. It got kind of old and I told him he was going to have to start cleaning it once a week to continue on. He said fine. Then he proceeded to never show up again lol other than to drop by and say howdy.
  - forgotmypw17 4y ago
    Sounds fair... It helps to have a habit of leaving every place cleaner than you found it. It sounds like your friend had other options, and you were able to remain friends?
    - stjohnswarts 4y ago
      Yeah I'm pretty sure it was the closeness to my house from where he parked on a relative's farm.

notch656a 4y ago

Is there anyway to do this without having CPS seize your children or the school refusing their enrollment? Theoretically if you live in a minivan can you just park it in the best school district and have at it?

voxic11 4y ago
In the US if a child meets the definition of homeless in the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act then schools must allow them to register without proof of residency. Children living in cars meet this definition. Note though that homeless students can still be required to provide reasonable proof of residency in order to receive an admission preference based on where they are temporarily living. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinney%E2%80%93Vento_Homeless_Assistance_Act#Homeless_children_and_education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinney%E2%80%93Vento_Homeles...
- notch656a 4y ago
  That sounds awesome. Might be worth looking into the best school district in the US and buying a minivan, if that life is amazing as it sounds. Property taxes would be non-existent. Wonder if we could just get 2 or 3 minivans and make a 'room' out of each one. You could use one to tow the other ones every 3rd day to avoid violating park laws, so they wouldn't even all have to run.
  - hattmall 4y ago
    I'm 99% certain it would completely suck with children. It could be cool on your own, or maybe even as a couple, but with kids I can't see it. Not to mention the social stigma the kids would face at school, especially in the best district.
    - forgotmypw17 4y ago
      I'm not so certain, if only because how many obstacles and problems people imagined for me when I told them the idea, compared with how surprisingly easy it was when I actually went for it. I think mindset is still the biggest factor. For example, there are all sorts of things you can get picked on for at school, and I think the most important bit is teaching them to navigate the process itself.

alar44 4y ago

Did you work during that time? Living in a minivan and vacationing in a minivan are 2 drastically different things.

forgotmypw17 4y ago
At different times, I did part-time remote work, which was more than enough to sustain me, worked as a home assistant for a family member, and did not work at all (living primarily freegan lifestyle then)

hotpotamus 4y ago

Was it down by the river?

forgotmypw17 4y ago
Very often it was. It is one of the best places to park. By the lake and by the ocean is great too. You can go for a swim first thing in the morning.
- hotpotamus 4y ago
  I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't have some appeal to me.

mdp2021 4y ago

> I l/o/ved out of a minivan Very telling lapsus. Or, I see what you did there.

forgotmypw17 4y ago
Yeah, that was a typo, but I did love it.